Effectiveness of 0.05% oxymetazoline (Vicks Sinex Micromist) nasal spray in the treatment of objective nasal congestion demonstrated to 12h post-administration by magnetic resonance imaging

Pritchard, Susan Elizabeth; Glover, Mark; Guthrie, Graeme; Brum, Jose; Ramsey, D.; Kappler, Gail; Thomas, Peter; Stuart, S.; Hull, D.; Gowland, Penny A.

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to assess the qualitative and quantitative utility of MRI imaging to illustrate the magnitude and duration of the effect of a standard 100 μg dose of oxymetazoline in a commercially available formulation that also contains aromatic oils.

Methods: This was a randomized, open label, single dose, parallel group study in 21 adult male and female subjects who reported moderate to severe nasal congestion due to acute upper respiratory tract infection or hay fever. MRI scans were acquired using a 3T Philips Achieva scanner with a 16 channel head receive coil. High resolution MRI scans of the nasal turbinates were obtained immediately prior to dosing (baseline) and at approximately 1, 8, 10, 11, and 12 hours after dosing. The efficacy variables of primary interest were inferior turbinate total volume at 8 and 12 hours post-dosing. The secondary efficacy variables analysed were inferior turbinate total volume at 1, 10, and 11 hours post-dosing, middle turbinate total volume at 1, 8, 10, 11, and 12 hours post-dosing.

Results: Changes from baseline volumes measured for the inferior and middle turbinates of subjects receiving the oxymetazoline formulation showed significant (P<0.05) decreases at all times up to and including 12 hours post-administration. No significant decreases from baseline were detected in subjects receiving a sham ‘spray’ (untreated control - spray bottles with no spray solution). Statistical ANCOVA results of inferior and middle turbinate volume indicated significant differences (P<0.05) at all measurement points up to and including 12 hours post-administration between the oxymetazoline treatment group and the untreated control with the only exception the middle turbinate volume at 10 hours (P=0.0896). The significant changes were likely to be clinically relevant though this was not measured in the study. No AEs were reported during this study and no other safety evaluations were made.

Conclusions: This study showed that MRI assessment of nasal congestion in human volunteers is a robust, repeatable and viable measurement technique. The application of a 100 µg Vicks Sinex Micromist® nasal decongestant (0.05% oxymetazoline solution) delivered a highly significant reduction in inferior and middle turbinate volumes compared with the application of a control, measurable by the MRI method up to and including a 12 hour post-dose scan.

Citation

Pritchard, S. E., Glover, M., Guthrie, G., Brum, J., Ramsey, D., Kappler, G., Thomas, P., Stuart, S., Hull, D., & Gowland, P. A. (2014). Effectiveness of 0.05% oxymetazoline (Vicks Sinex Micromist) nasal spray in the treatment of objective nasal congestion demonstrated to 12h post-administration by magnetic resonance imaging. Pulmonary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 27(1), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pupt.2013.08.002

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: Feb 4, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 4, 2016
• Journal: Pulmonary Pharmacology & Therapeutics
• Electronic ISSN: 1522-9629
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 27
• Issue: 1
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pupt.2013.08.002
• Keywords: Oxymetazoline, Long-Lasting, Nasal Turbinates, MRI, Volume Measurement
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/997191
• Publisher URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1094553913001673
• Related Public URLs: http://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S1094553913001673